With the 2017 Seattle Storm season officially in the books (although sooner than we all would've hoped), there's no shortage of memorable moments or milestones to look back on and celebrate. Some of the biggest highlights include Sue Bird becoming the WNBA's All-Time Assist Leader, and Seattle shining as a first-time host to the WNBA All-Star Game. The Storm ownership group, Force 10 Hoops, celebrated their 10th Anniversary which was honored during a halftime ceremony on Fan Appreciation Night. Breanna Stewart set some new franchise marks and made her first WNBA All-Star appearance, while Jewell Loyd certainly showed flashes of brilliance during her ascension into young WNBA stardom. The Storm have a lot to be proud of coming out of the 2017 season and, more importantly, a lot to look forward to.

Sue Bird chuckles as we review some of her lines from a 'Fake News Report' script. (Neil Enns/Storm)

2017 also marked 3 Point Production's fourth straight season as the Storm's official game presentation partner. As we continue to strive to produce the WNBA's highest quality entertainment, we also challenge ourselves to provide the greatest home court advantage in the league. We take a great deal of pride in our history and relationship with the front office staff and the Storm players (Sue and I started the same year). Their continued confidence and support of our creative process has brought to life some of our favorite ideas and concepts to date.

Each year we develop and plan for at least one premier entertainment video series featuring Storm players that we capture at Storm Media Day and debut at games throughout the season. In previous years these have included the Storm Lip SyncBattle, Between Two Birds, Storm Mini-Games and classically, Storm Movie Magic. Given our rich history with the Storm organization, we've been able to connect with the players and really get to know their personalities which I believe is evident in our work. Over the years, we've continued to develop more and more confidence and chemistry. This year was no exception.

While planning for this season, in addition to obligations for sponsorship, theme nights and marketing activations, we developed some fresh new video features to enhance the overall fan experience. We debuted a new set of situational crowd prompts and Storm Player GIFs which we were able to add to our 2016 inventory. We also unveiled two completely new, full-season video features this summer, 'Storm Toss Up' and this year's fan favorite, the 'Fake New Reports'.

Fake News Reports

Based on the Fake News phenomenon that has riddled the media in 2017, Derrick Gomez and I developed a concept for a Fake News parody series with stories based on the Storm's brightest stars. We scripted each interview for our Fake News Correspondent, Marty, who was played by Derrick himself. Working alongside David Albright Media, we dove deep into audio and visual details for each storyline - probably more than any of us are willing to admit. Filled with drops of pop culture and nods to internet sensations, the final products each propose a uniquely ridiculous but somewhat believable narrative designed to leave the viewer pondering, "Is this really fake news?".

Decide for yourself:

Is Sue Bird the WNBA Logowoman?!?

Breanna Stewart has a new nickname?!?

Jewell Loyd has Superpowers?!?

Situational Videos & Crowd Prompts

For the first time in four seasons, the Storm jersey didn't change in color, sponsor or appearance, so the video inventory we built in 2016 around the core players was still for the most part relevant. Knowing we could rely on that inventory, we were able to build out and expand on more situational crowd hypes and fan prompts. When creating a home court advantage, these type of assets are critical. Whether it was a clever audio sting or a situational player GIF that we ran on the video board, we had an element built and ready to react to every possible in-game scenario. Below are two examples of new video based elements from the 2017 season. On the left, a crowd hype we'd use coming out of late-game timeouts to hype the crowd or "bump" back into gameplay. This was a hype I originally filmed last year but one of the players we shot it with was cut early in the season so we were only able to use it one time. Below on the right, is an example of our new noise graphics that we triggered throughout the game with various audio prompts coming from the DJ. The crowd really responded to these, especially since we had four versions; one with Sue Bird, one with Jewell Loyd, one with Breanna Stewart and one with the 3 of them rotating. We used them situationally; for instance, if Jewell hit a big shot, we could come back with her specific noise prompt. Shooting these through the unique perspective from behind the player's back allowed us to feature the player's name prominently and make it seem as if the player was turning to the crowd for response.

WNBA All-Star 2017

Seattle turned out for WNBA All-Star 2017, KeyArena was lit from the jump.

From the moment we found out that Seattle was set to host Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 at KeyArena, we were filled with excitement. In our very first planning meeting with the WNBA, we vowed to make this All-Star experience second to none. In that same meeting, we pitched the idea of bringing back the WNBA Three-Point Contest which resulted in the competition being broadcast live on ABC Sports as the halftime entertainment. With 15,000+ fans nearly pushing KeyArena to capacity, the event provided a grand stage to represent for our city and properly showcase our appreciation for long-time Storm guard, Sue Bird. In many ways, the game was a celebration of her career here and everything she's done for Seattle basketball.

Sue Bird competing in the WNBA Three-Point Contest at Halftime.

Another very special moment of the presentation that stands out from our perspective is the All-Star player introduction sequence. Working with the league and broadcast team, we were able to adjust some pregame timings to allow us to bring all of the players back of house and stage them in tunnels within the stands. As a surprise to the fans, the players were introduced roughly 15 rows up and stepped through tunnels of high-fives all the way to the court. We incorporated orange lighting and smoke effects as well as WNBA All-Star branded stair decals to enhance the visuals of the presentation. The intro video and audio selections hyped KeyArena through a rousing sequence that Sue Bird later singled out as her favorite moment of the weekend. Not only was the event a huge success in the eyes of the players, Storm, WNBA and their sponsors, but it also marked one of the cleanest overall event presentations in our company's history. It's certainly a day that all of us will never forget.

Sue Bird being introduced as the starting Point Guard of the West All-Stars nearly brought the roof off of KeyArena.

In summary, there's only one way to properly end this, the 2017 Storm season was bananas.

This past week in Phoenix, we had the great opportunity to produce at our sixth straight Final Four, one of the nation’s largest sporting weekends of the year. Our Road to the Final Four began about five years ago, with a phone call the month we opened doors at the 3 Point office. Turner Sports was looking for a group to produce a college basketball Legends Game in New Orleans and some of our longtime NBA colleagues in the Big Easy told them about a group of producers up in the Pacific Northwest.

What began as a Legends Game grew into a scope that year that also included the pregame fan fest called Tip-Off Tailgate outside the Superdome. The next year in Atlanta, we got involved with the March Madness Music Festival, producing intermission stage programming on the Coca-Cola and Capital One concerts. As we worked year to year on the events, with our production scope continuing to expand in Dallas, Indianapolis, Houston and now Phoenix…I take a moment each year to stop and marvel at what a privilege it is to work on an event weekend that most people consider a bucket list item.

Final Four is the ultimate fan experience, well beyond the games and One Shining Moment. Final Four Fan Fest, taking place at the host city’s convention center, is an interactive fan zone that is the dream of any hoops fan that enters. From viewing parties to autograph sessions to sponsor footprints like Capital One’s mini baseball stadium and Oreo’s slam dunk court, it’s the type of place you can spend eight hours and barely realize the day has passed.

March Madness Music Festival is the largest free music event in the country and has seen some of the biggest music acts grace the stage…including Dave Matthews, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Rihanna, Aerosmith and Kendrick Lamar. Charles Barkley makes his annual stage appearance heading into Capital One’s Sunday headliner and brings along friends like Shaq, Jim Nantz and Greg Gumbel. We’ve also had fun writing copy for celebrity stage hosts like Kevin Hart and Andy Richter.

Tip-Off Tailgate is the ultimate pregame stop for fans attending the game, taking place right outside venues like AT&T Stadium in Arlington and University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Programming the stage and building crowd energy with pre-game pep rallies, concerts and DJ’s like Scotty B putting down the beats, it’s an honor for us to entertain the masses of fans that travel out for college basketball’s peak performers.

Some people call their jobs work, but this never feels like work…it feels like fun and it is so rewarding to see the smiles on the faces of so many fans. Whether it’s their opportunity to be on stage to introduce a band, show their best moves in a dance contest, catch a t-shirt thrown into the crowd or ride the Ferris Wheel, I feel good knowing that our crew is making dreams come true for so many people. While I will never lift an NCAA trophy above my head on the court, I feel like a champion each year because of the impact of fan experience.

With the turn of each new year comes one of the greatest 3 Point Productions traditions, our year-end installment of 3 Points of View. Alongside myself, this year's round table included Patrick Walker, Derrick Gomez & Scott Smith as we collectively reflected on the highlights of 2016 and shared our thoughts on industry trends to watch in 2017.

Which industry trends did you enjoy most in 2016?

The 2016 Pac-12 China game featured Harvard vs. Stanford at Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai.

Patrick: The globalization of American sports continues to excite me. It began years ago with the NBA Global Games and has evolved to include the NFL games in London and Mexico City, the Pac-12 hosting college basketball's annual tipoff in Shanghai, and college football teams taking games overseas to places like Dublin and London. Gameday experience in American sports has long been at the forefront of industry and it's exciting to showcase this atmosphere across the globe.

Matt: Like all of the great ideas in the sports industry, the concept of real-time, scenario based sponsorship activations is spreading like wildfire - and evolving. The famed "Chick-fil-A Fowl Shot" promotion has spawned a new form of sponsorship activation that's highly coveted by game producers. Since the promotion is built around a moment in the game, it doesn't carve much, if any, inventory from your in-game timeouts or breaks. The more powerful and intriguing part of the promotion is how it engages the fans while reinforcing the behavior desired to create home court advantage. I've seen examples in NBA markets that now play with this concept throughout the entire game rather than just the 4th quarter. We'll wait and see if over-saturation spoils the trend or only makes it stronger.

Derrick: The year 2016 seemed to be all about localized content. If you follow a team on social media, you can now see everything the team is doing, from game highlights to interviews or quirky entertainment elements. There are numerous outlets for a team to demonstrate its personality, thus, it only makes sense for teams to try to centralize its output to maintain a sense of personality that fans can relate to. This is where the industry trend is growing - in the drive for localized content. For example, you can now watch an NBA game through NBA League Pass as though you were actually there - instead of commercials during timeouts, you see the inflatable mascot skit that is happening live in that arena. Or, you can see the local Memphis break dance crew that only performs in or around Memphis. The ability to localize and coordinate content while gearing it towards your fans while trying to outreach to the next fan is a tricky balance that some teams are starting to get the hang of.

What were your favorite event experiences of 2016?

Patrick: One of my favorites of 2016 took place over the course of the summer. With the organization that runs the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Arizona Rattlers making a change in leadership for their Game Presentation department, I split time between Seattle and Phoenix to serve as their department head on an interim bases. In addition to calling games and producing entertainment, I assisted the organization in a nationwide search to find the right person in the industry to lead the teams on a permanent basis.

Derrick: As were most people's favorite experiences of 2016 - the Mannequin Challenge. While in China, following the Pac-12 game between Stanford and Harvard, we pulled the staff together for a post-show Mannequin Challenge. Our casting skills should be noted, including Pac-12 Directors, local talent, oh, and I almost forgot, the masterpiece concluded with an appearance from Bill Walton in his tie-dye Pac-12 tee!

Scott: Working alongside Wasserman with the NBA on the unveiling of Dew NBA 3X was definitely a highlight of 2016. Since it was a new event, we were able to explore a variety of entertainment options in each city to see what fit best for the brands. At the various locations we played outdoors, indoors, once with a massive videoboard and a few with live music performances. With a mindset of continual improvement, the entire staff formed an exciting team-oriented culture that is sure to enhance the events again next year.

Which 2017 projects are you most excited about and why?

Patrick: I'm excited about our growing partnership with the Pac-12. We had an incredible experience producing the Pac-12 China Game in Shanghai this past November and they are a forward thinking organization that thinks outside the box in many facets of their approach to fan experience, which is music to our ears as entertainment producers. Plus, I've been a fan of the Pac-12 for many years as a Washington Husky alum!

Matt: There's something about planning for a full season worth of games that really excites me. This is why I cannot wait for the beginning of the 2017 WNBA season so we can resume our role as the official game presentation partner of the Seattle Storm. With one of the youngest and brightest cores in the league, there will be plenty of excitement shouting through the walls of KeyArena this summer. As the players start their journey to a title, we'll look to reclaim the title of greatest home court advantage in the league - and we'll have some fun along the way. Oh, and have I mentioned that Seattle is hosting the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game? I've been waiting for this for a long time!

Derrick: Right off the bat, I begin 2017 with a trip to Mexico City. There, the Phoenix Suns will have two "home" games, one against the Dallas Mavericks and the other against the San Antonio Spurs. I look forward to this event because it will mark the first time we at 3 Point Productions are contracted strictly for behind the scenes work: production management. I am hoping for a good experience that will lead to more opportunities in this field for the 3 Point team.

Which industry trends do you hope to see develop in 2017?

Patrick: In 2017, I look forward to the continued growth of high profile neutral site events, with teams and universities looking for alternate sites outside of their home venue to host a game and play in front of a unique audiences. Companies like ours serve as great fan experience support for these types of events. A good example of this was the 2016 CBS Sports Classic, featuring four powerhouse college basketball programs and a new partner for us to work with in KemperLesnik.

Matt: The continued development of content producing apps and how they're impacting event presentation by providing easier ways to turn-around content or even broadcast live content will be a huge industry story in 2017. It will be interesting to see our industry's most creative minds start to bring this style of entertainment into live in-arena settings. We've already begun brainstorming on how we can get Snapchat filters to work in-arena... (turns back to drawing board)

Scott: I recently tried on my first virtual reality headset and immediately understood why professional sports leagues are so interested in incorporating VR into the fan experience. VR has the power and capability to redefine fan experience. These wearable technologies will allow fans to interact with their environment and customize their viewing experience in ways we could not have previously imagined.

All the images used in this template are the property of Vasuma and used with permission.

3 Point Productions

Experience Is Everything

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